The frenetic lifestyle typical of developed countries has favored the emergence of an obesogenic environment that makes it difficult to follow a healthy diet.
In this context, Sugar consumption has skyrocketed in recent years due to the high consumption of ultra-processed products
The problem of excessive sugar consumption
Ultra-processed products are characterized by containing large amounts of sugar, salt, and poor-quality fats, components that the industry uses to make its products more palatable and addictive.
Frequent and high consumption of these nutrients maintained over time favors the development and appearance of cardiovascular and metabolic complications , such as diabetes or hypertension. For this reason, it is advisable to reduce its consumption as much as possible.
To achieve this objective, it is key to take two aspects into account when making the purchase. First of all, the simplest strategy to avoid consuming ultra-processed products is not to buy them, since The mere fact of having them in the pantry increases the likelihood of consuming them
The second key point is know how to identify those products with added sugar since the food industry has developed a wide range of marketing strategies to attract our attention and influence the decision to buy that product.
The amount of salt or oil is easy to identify on the label if you look at the list of ingredients. However, identifying whether or not a product has added sugar is a slightly more complicated task, since sugar can be hidden behind numerous names. Therefore, it is very important to know how to identify it when choosing the products we take home.
Different types of sugar to take into account
Before continuing, it is necessary to emphasize that In a product or food we can find different types of sugar : intrinsic sugar, free sugar and added sugar.
The World Health Organization recommends reducing consumption of the last two due to their harmful effects on health. This way, It is more advisable to eat foods with as little processing as possible ; For example, always choose whole fruit instead of the squeezed version (whether homemade or purchased). And of course, avoid ultra-processed products that normally have large amounts of added sugar.
Reduce your sugar consumption with Oorenji
As we mentioned before, sugar can be hidden under different names: glucose, fructose, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, sucrose, etc. Oorenji is an interactive app that will motivate you to change your habit with a small 3-day challenge in which you can expand your knowledge about sugar, learn to identify it, and reduce its consumption with its recommendations.
In addition, it will help you plan your completely personalized weekly menu in a simple way, ensuring nutritional balance and the recommended portions of each food.
You can download the app directly from the official Android and Apple stores.